DR. WALLACE: How or why does writing in a journal help with stress? Many of my friends and even teachers have suggested this idea to me. Apparently, many of my friends have been writing in journals or diaries for years! I have never written in a journal before, so I'm unsure about this.

Do you think this might help me? And if so, why? — Have Never Journaled Yet, via email

HAVE NEVER JOURNALED YET: The idea that a journal can help with reducing stress comes from the fact that it provides an outlet for your thoughts, dreams and feelings. Sometimes just putting your thoughts down on paper is quite cathartic and makes things that look large and daunting seem more manageable and less troublesome than they appear to be when they are held only in your mind.

Also, writing down challenges, problems or situations that make you uneasy starts a process whereby your mind may start turning toward coming up with solutions, ideas and strategies that may help you to ease some of the challenges, or stress, that you face. Human beings have written down their thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and experiences for thousands of years. I feel it's absolutely worth a try for you to give it a go and see how it might work for you. Always remember this is voluntary and you can start and stop whenever you choose to, so there's no downside to trying it to see how it makes you feel.

I WANT TO START OVER SOMEWHERE ELSE

DR. WALLACE: Is it possible for me to run away from my life and start over? I'm 16 and I don't have a happy home life at all.

I won't go into all of the details, but I can at least put your mind at ease that I'm not being physically abused in any way. But as far as everything else, I feel it's a disaster. My parents fight with each other, are very unreliable and most of the time I have to find my own food.

I dream of running away and finding a better family out there somewhere that I can live with, but I don't know which direction to run and how I would find this family. I feel like I need a fresh start. — Want Out of Here, via email

WANT OUT OF HERE: Trust me, you don't want to simply run away right now on your own! A person your age living on the streets is exposed to many dangers, some of them quite horrible on many levels. So please do not do that even though you think it may solve your problems.

Instead, immediately involve as many trusted adults as you possibly can. If you have friends who have reliable parents, speak to them. And many schools are open for summer school classes at this time of year, so go right up to the office or your school — or any school near you — and ask to speak to a counselor. Don't hesitate to do this as many educational professionals will step up and seek to help you.

There may or may not be adult relatives in your family that can help you. If an aunt, uncle or grandparent of yours is reliable and of good character, you should also speak to as many of them as you can as well.

Act right now to help your situation. Do not daydream of running away. You're only two years or less from becoming an adult yourself, so don't go out on the streets by yourself now in an unprotected manner.

There are many hotlines you can call to seek help as well, and those resources are often quite good as they are staffed with helpful, compassionate people. Read up on them and make a call or two before you do anything rash. Basically, I'm encouraging you to reach out right now to get as many people to help you as possible. Don't seek to make changes on your own! I feel going in person to tell reliable adults in your area is a fine way to start. Keep the faith that you will get the help you need, and that it will be there for you quite soon. Take the first steps today toward explaining your situation to an adult who can help you.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: 6689062 at Pixabay